We were fortunate to see a lot of lions the last time that I was in Southern Africa. Both South Africa and Botswana provided some amazing lion sightings – from cubs playing to mating to lounging away the heat of the day, we had a little bit of everything.
This male was seen in Chobe National Park during a morning game drive. He was following in the footsteps of a female, and she was leading him around to a variety of different places. Here, we were parked on the road and had the opportunity to watch him walk directly towards us, and then after he passed in front of the vehicle, off into the bushes.
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to see a lot of lions now, and honestly, it doesn’t get old. Each time is a thrill and a privilege.
This guy definitely had swagger, and was looking good from the front.And looking good from the back.
This week, I was fooled by an A.L.T (Animal Like Thing). It’s pretty common while out watching birds or wildlife. Those pesky distant bushes that look like an antelope, the upturned branch that looks exactly like a perched bird, the big rock that fooled you into thinking it was a rhino.
While I was out with my dogs earlier in the week, I stopped dead in my tracks, absolutely convinced there was an owl perched on a fallen tree in the back forest. I quickly took the dogs in and grabbed my camera and raced back outside, eagerly zoomed in and then saw – a broken branch sticking up from the dead tree. And here I was excitedly thinking I was finally seeing the great horned owl after hearing it call from the depths of my yard for years. I had a brief moment of disappointment and then headed back inside to tend to the pups.
There are a few fallen trees in the forest behind my home that I know look like animals, but this was one that hadn’t caught my eye before. Once all the snow is gone, I might need to go flag it with something so I don’t get fooled by that one again.
Since I am still without even seeing the great horned owl, let alone capturing an image of it, I instead have a photo of the barred owl in the yard. We’ve seen brief glimpses of an owl flying near the house recently, likely the barred as it seems quite comfortable hanging around near the house.
Continuing on with the bird theme from a couple of weeks ago, I decided to focus on herons this week. When I used to live near Vancouver, I loved taking my dog for a walk along a river and would usually spot a great blue heron or two along the route. My current walking area doesn’t feature herons, but it does sometimes have animals like deer and moose (as well fox and coyotes tracks left overnight for the puppies to enjoy), so, I definitely can’t complain about a lack of things to see. At some point, I am hoping I will have both my dogs comfortable and calm enough while walking to take my camera out with me, but that is still a work in progress. But back to the herons.
The variety of herons that I have seen in Southern Africa is impressive, boasting a wide range of sizes and colourings. The striated, purple and squacco herons are on the smaller side, the grey heron is the size that comes to mind when I hear the word heron, and then there is the goliath, which is truly impressive in its stature. The one thing I never really understood was the naming of the purple heron, as the bird is more grey and rust coloured than what I would call purple. But, bird naming conventions (or renaming, as that seems to happen fairly frequently) isn’t something I can claim to understand.
On to the photos.
The grey heron is very similar in size to the great blue heron that we see here in BC, just with different colouring. The grey heron is a fairly common heron to see, and I’ve come across them on most of my travels in Africa. This one was spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. Botswana, April 2024.
A striated heron alongside a dam on a dull morning. Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa. November, 2022.A squacco heron spotted in Moremi Game Reserve. This particular afternoon drive was a bonanza of water birds, including the black heron that I shared a couple of weeks ago, amongst others. Botswana. April, 2024.A purple heron spotted during a boat trip along the Zambezi River. Zambia, November, 2022.Another grey heron, this one spotted while on a game drive in Madikwe. South Africa, November 2022.The largest of the African herons, the Goliath heron. These birds are massive and so impressive to see up close. This one was perched in a tree at the edge of the Zambezi River, spotted during a boat cruise. Zambia, November, 2022.A squacco heron alongside a dam. I spent quite a long time watching this heron from the hide at our camp; it is amazing how still they can remain. Botswana, April, 2024.
I remember how peaceful it was to sit on the deck of our cabin in the early afternoon and watch this beautiful herd of elephants. They came down to a dam (just out of the picture to the left) to drink, and once they had their fill, begin heading into the (mostly) dry riverbed to feed on the abundant vegetation.
A herd of elephants seen at Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
Part of the herd had already moved deeper into the riverbed; there were perhaps 15 – 20 in the group in total.
Just because the game drive is over doesn’t mean the wildlife viewing is over. There is often an abundance of birdlife and animals to be seen just relaxing around camp.
Watching a sunrise with giraffes is never a bad way to start a day. I’ve shared some images from this sighting before, but it was so beautiful, another one won’t hurt.
Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
I’ve often said that if there was only one animal I could watch on safari, it would be elephants. They are always doing something: feeding, drinking, fanning themselves with their ears, and most importantly, interacting with one another.
It’s the interaction that I wanted to highlight with my selection of photos today.
This group of young elephants were having a lot of fun alongside the waterhole, where the rest of their herd was drinking and splashing. These guys were enjoying a bit of trunk wrestling in the late afternoon heat. Botswana. April, 2025.A classic trunk hug from a mama to her baby. Botswana. April, 2025.The type of mama and baby photo you normally see in illustrations, with baby holding on to mama’s tail. Botswana, April, 2025.A small family heading to the waterhole, passing by a large, solitary male. Here you see the matriarch leading the way, followed by the youngest, with older elephants protecting the youngster from the rear. Elephants are so protective of their young, and it is very common to see groups walking in this manner, to provide as much protection from danger as possible. Botswana, April, 2024.
I had originally planned to post some elephant photos today, but I came across one hippo photo that made me change my direction.
Hippos can be interesting to watch and listen to while out on a game drive, but they generally aren’t an animal that a guide specifically seeks out to show guests – at least not on any game drive I’ve been on. Hippos have their typical ponds and pools that they spend time in, so it is usually quite easy to add a drive past the area during a game drive, or stop nearby (at a safe distance, of course) to have morning coffee or sundowners in the evening.
It is very interesting to have the opportunity to see hippos out on land, especially in the daytime when you can really appreciate their size and bulk. Our camp in the Okavango Delta had a resident hippo in the camp that they called Oscar. Oscar wandered around in between the cabins grazing, even during the day. We were lucky to have him hanging around our cabin one afternoon, although the only photos I managed of that sighting were of his butt as he walked away, or when he was mostly obscured by bushes.
Here is my selection of images for the week.
We watched this group of hippos during the downtime between morning and afternoon drives from the deck of our cabin. I’m sure this is the smallest baby hippo that I’ve ever seen. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.A group of hippos heading back to the water, spotted on a boat cruise of the Chobe River. Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.A pair of hippos grazing in the late afternoon, seen while on an afternoon boat cruise on the Chobe River. The land in the background in part of Namibia, and farmers had set the fields on fire to burn dead vegetation.Chobe National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.A hippo pod at sunset, during a beautiful sundowner drinks stop. Our camp set up a bush bar near this pond, and all the vehicles congregated there to have a few minutes to chat and enjoy some refreshments. Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. April, 2024.I spent some time in a hide near a small dam that the lodge kept filled, and watched this hippo. For some time I wondered if it was dead and floating, but it was very much alive and seemingly just enjoying having a peaceful float in the morning sun. Eventually, it righted itself and carried on with its day. Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana. April, 2024.
After a few dreary and grey days, I was in the mood for colour again, and these giraffes images certainly fit the bill. The shape of the giraffe is so easily recognizable that they are a great subject for a silhouetted shot, if you are fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time, with both subject matter and weather cooperating.
Our progress along this road was halted for a giraffe crossing. I think we had 3 or 4 individuals that crossed, just as it got light enough to take some photos. Klaserie Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
A pair of giraffes in the last moments of light after sunset. A beautiful full moon was rising in the opposite direction. Savute, Botswana. April, 2024.A lone giraffe and the rising sun. Our guide spotted this giraffe at a distance and positioned the vehicle perfectly to watch the sunrise. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
I managed to keep to my schedule for editing some photos over the weekend, but got sidetracked by an expansive to do list and neglected to get them posted. A day late isn’t so bad; and honestly, I am more concerned about keeping the routine of working on my images than occasionally missing my self-imposed schedule for sharing them.
Leopards caught my eye these week, and honestly, how can a leopard not catch your eye? They are such gorgeous creatures and it’s truly a special feeling to be in the presence of an animal that could very easily make the choice not to be seen at all.
On my past safari trip we had two different leopard sightings, one of a solitary leopard and the other of a mother leopard with an older cub. I’ve shared a few images of these particular cats before, and many others over the years which can be found with the search function.
A beautiful leopard on the move. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa, April, 2024.The quality of the light coming through the grasses behind this leopard makes this image feel more like a dream to me than reality. If you were tracking a leopard in a dream, this would be where you would find it, after passing through dark, thick bush into a small clearing with dreamy light. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.This mother and cub pair delighted us with some wonderful moments, including watching them move through the bush and groom each other. We didn’t spend too long with this pair as there were other vehicles hoping to catch a glimpse, and we didn’t want to be the ones to prevent anyone else from sharing in their magic. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
Thinking back over my last couple of trips to Southern Africa, the rhino sightings have been a bit more limited than during previous trips. A lot of the places on the tours I have taken recently aren’t known for having rhino in the area, and sightings are very rare, so it was my pre-tour safari stops that offered rhino sightings.
Rhinos can be challenging to spot in thick bush and seem to be able to disappear rather easily; which can frustrate guides that want to provide their guests viewing opportunities of the Big 5. We had followed tracks on and off over several game drives, looking for two rhino travelling together. While the tracks would surface and disappear, we couldn’t find the animals leaving the tracks, much to the dismay of our guide. We did come across this lone individual and had a brief sighting before it turned on its heel and disappeared into the trees.
A lone rhino granted us a few moments before disappearing into the bush. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
Then, on the way back from a leopard sighting on a neighbouring property, we were on the paved road and were flagged down by a passing car to warn us that there were a couple of rhino on the road ahead. Finally, we had located the pair that were causing such consternation for our guide.
A pair of rhino grazing along the side of the road at sundown. Given hey are basically the same colour as the road, we hoped that they made their way into the bush as it got dark. Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
The only other rhino sighting this past trip was a quick view of an individual crossing through the riverbed at Klaserie Sands. Our guide spotted the animal in the distance, and even though it was getting dark and the view was brief, we followed as much as we could as other people in our vehicle had never seen a rhino before.
A lone rhino crossing the riverbed. You can clearly see the water line from where it was submerged. Klaserie Sands Private Game Reserve, South Africa. April, 2024.
